TEXAS

The name of White Settlement originated as a result of there being two settlements in the area: one occupied predominantly by Real Americans (near where Fort Worth is located today), and the other one being occupied by white settlers. The latter settlement received the name "White Settlement" as a way to distinguish itself from the Native American settlement. The city was incorporated in 1941.
On October 14, 2005, city leaders announced a plan to have local voters decide on a possible name change for the town from White Settlement to West Settlement.
 old stagecoach tracks
In the November 8 election, the name change was overwhelmingly rejected by a vote of 2388 to 219.
 In October 1855, Second Lieutenant Zenas R. Bliss, Eighth U. S. Infantry, arrived at Fort Davis seventeen days after boarding the westbound stage in San Antonio. "The Post was the most beautifully situated of any that I have ever seen. It was in a narrow canyon with perpendicular sides, the walls of which were about 200 feet in height," the young officer later wrote. The necessity for the post, located some 400 miles from San Antonio and 200 miles from Franklin (present-day El Paso), stemmed from demands for protection on the San Antonio-El Paso Road. A major link along the most southern route to California, the road experienced an upsurge of travel in the early 1850s following the discovery of gold in California. As travel along the road increased, so did Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache raids into Mexico. Emigrants, mail carriers and merchants journeyed in constant fear of the raiding warriors who traveled between Mexico and their homelands to the north. Despite its picturesque terrain, the buildings were uncomfortable and difficult to keep warm. "I remember once in a snow storm the snow blew under my bed . . . and it stayed there several days without melting," wrote Lieutenant Bliss. In 1856, six stone barracks with thatched roofs and flagstone floors replaced inadequate enlisted men’s quarters. Along with the bakery, blacksmith shop, and a warehouse, they were the only substantial structures of the first fort."He added"The first Fort Davis served as a retreat for thousands of emigrants, freighters, and travelers during the decade preceding the Civil War. It provided protection for the U. S. Mail and saw the establishment of a number of stage stations and military posts in the region, including Fort Stockton and Fort Quitman. It was also an influencing factor in 1859 for the Butterfield Overland Mail to change its route to El Paso. The new route came through Fort Davis instead of following the road through the Guadalupe Mountains. Although the post did little to reduce Indian activity in western Texas, its presence encouraged travel on the San Antonio-El Paso Road and settlement in the Trans-Pecos region."The view from Fort Davis' Cemetery Road
The euro immigrants beset on settling any land as far west as possible, seized the moment. They considered
the lands south of the Red River America. To anchor their position, the first white 

 

men
entered northeastern Texas via an ancient buffalo crossing on the Red River in 1811.  They built a  
small, guarded outpost on a peninsula jutting into the river. The settlement and the bayou  
surrounding it were called Pecan Point.To avoid complications with the Spanish, the new settlers  around the Red River insisted that

the Pecan Point settlement was an extension of Miller County, Arkansas. Why would they do such a  
thing?One theory purports that the American settlers wanted to attach their land claims to an American

territory rather than a Spanish one to gain more American-held land. Or, the Americans may have  
wanted to expand slavery into the far reaches of the Louisiana Territory. Other theories speculate  
that this was an attempt at getting Spain out of North America (Aaron Burr, Jefferson's vice president,
had tried to do that himself, though his plan led to his infamous treason trial). Yet other historians simply
regard the claims as an honest mix-up. Fort Concho was the first garrisoned by the 10th Cavalry (F Troop) in April 1873.--- The regiment's headquarters was located at the fort from April 17, 1875 to July 1882. It was also the station for Troops A, D, F, G, I, and L.   In 1876-77 the defense of all of west Texas was the responsibility of the 10th Cavalry alone. Its opponents were Lipans, Kickapoos, Comanches, and Mescalero Apaches, the most famous of which was the band under Chief Victoria which was driven into Mexico by the 10th.